The Boy's Own Book of Indoor Games and Recreations / A Popular Encyclopædia for Boys

by C. Stansfeld Hicks; John Nevil Maskelyne; Gordon Stables

FIG 7

FIG 8

FIG 9

The sides of the ship, which are only the height of the vessel above water, can be made of thick cardboard. Millboard will do, but it cracks easily. The shape of the side having been cut out, a couple of lines must be marked within which the ports are to be cut. The lower edge of the port should be about two inches above the water-line, and the ports themselves two inches high and three wide, the whole height of the vessel’s side out of water amidships being about 6¹⁄₂ inches (this is for a 5 ft. ship), while at the bow it will be an inch or so higher and half an inch at the stern (see [Fig. 1]). In cutting the ports you will find a sharp chisel the best tool to use, particularly if you are operating on thick millboard. When the ports are cut out the pieces of millboard cut away will do for port lids (see [Fig. 10]). A is the ship’s side, B the port lid, which is hinged on to the upper port sill by a piece of calico D D, glued on; C is the tricing line for raising or lowering the port. [Fig. 9] shows the battens (A A). These are about an inch high and three-quarters thick; they are screwed down on the stand just inside the line the side of the ship will take, and serve to secure the lower part of the ship’s side by glue or screws; or another batten can be run outside the ship’s side—the two battens taking one side of the ship between them, and this is the stronger plan. The deck should be made of a stout piece of deal board, about three-quarter-inch; it must be strong, as it serves to bind the whole fabric together, and the sides are none too strong. This deck is the upper deck, the main deck being formed by that part of the stand inside the vessel’s hull, and the main hatchway being the box. The deck must be placed just at the top of the line of ports (see A A in [Fig. 8]), so as to leave room between the two decks, and also to leave a bulwark all round the upper deck. The stern may be made of a piece of deal an inch thick, shaped as [Fig. 11]. [Fig. 12] shows the section and the way the edges are bevelled off at A A. The bows can be fastened together by screws or glue, to a wedge-shaped piece of wood put between them (see [Fig. 13]). C is a triangular block of wood shaped to suit the vessel’s lines, B B the millboard sides, A is a piece of millboard or wood shaped as [Fig. 14]. The part A A goes between the sides which terminate at the line B B, shown in [Fig. 8]. The hook B is formed by a piece of wire inserted into the end of the knee of the head, and is used to hang a small figure for a figure-head. Those little plaster angels which have a small wire eye between the wings from which they are generally suspended by elastic, are the most suitable, as the wings fit on either side of the bowsprit, and the figure looks very well.

The most effective part of the affair has now to be described, and that is the way the hold is lighted up. [Fig. 2] shows this. A is a common paraffin lamp, with say a three-quarter inch burner (though an inch is better); L is a tin reflector so fitted as to throw the light downward and forward toward the bow; at K is a strong partition to secure the lamp from being upset or damaged while the hold is being pulled about for presents; M M shows the line of the main deck, opening from which is the box P. The rays from this lamp light up the whole length forward of the main deck, and, if the ports are open, send a bright radiance from them through the room.

The upper deck must be fitted with a hatchway of sufficient size just over the box which constitutes the hold, and this hatchway must be so placed that every part of the box can be reached through it even by a small child. The ports may be made to open and shut simultaneously by bringing all the tricing lines into one hauling part, which on being pulled hauls up all the ports at once. This is very effective if the ports fit well, as the room can be darkened, and the ports being suddenly hauled up, the whole interior of the ship is shown brightly illuminated.

The fittings for the lamp on the upper deck have next to be considered. The principal part is the funnel, which can be made of an old canister by cutting it down where soldered together, reducing it to the required diameter and boring holes along the lapping and lacing it together up the side. This is better than soldering, as the heat of the lamp cannot affect the joint. The lower ends of the tube are cut and opened out as at [Fig. 4], and a kind of tin washer is cut out ([Fig. 5]), the inner circle just being large enough to slip over the funnel, but being stopped by the lower ends. The outside circumference of the washer must be large enough to cover these ends. By screwing the washer down on the upper deck, having previously slipped the funnel through it, the funnel is firmly fixed in position, the rake being determined by the way in which the lower ends are cut. To further steady the funnel and make a neat job, a small bridge is cut out of another tin canister or piece of sheet-tin or zinc, as at [Fig. 4], B B. This may be made of any suitable width and pierced with a hole in the centre to pass it over the funnel; it is then bent down to the required curve, the ends joining the bulwarks and fitting in the upper deck. A light rail may be fitted, as shown in the elevation, or if the tin is cut as [Fig. 4]A the side pieces A A can be bent up to form a rail. This bridge may be painted with japan black, which can also be used for those parts of the vessel which require to be painted black.

The partition K ([Fig. 2]) must be made to remove, working in slides, so that the reservoir of the lamp, by taking off the chimney, can be got out for filling and trimming; the chimney is got off by pushing it up the funnel far enough to clear the lamp.